Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has regained his freedom after being arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while preparing to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) for an official assignment.
The NLC announced his release via a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) account in the early hours of Tuesday.
Following Ajaero’s arrest, the NLC swiftly issued a communiqué condemning his detention, describing it as an act of intimidation aimed at silencing the labour movement and demanding his immediate and unconditional release before 12 pm on Monday, emphasizing that Ajaero is neither a fugitive nor a criminal, and his detention was unjustified.
“NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero released from DSS detention.
The struggle continues, we can’t be silenced,” the NLC’s tweet announcing Ajaero’s release read.
In addition to securing the release of its president, the NLC’s communiqué, issued on Monday by the National Administrative Council (NAC), also called for the immediate reversal of the petrol price hike to N617 per litre.
Additionally, the NAC demanded the swift implementation of the newly signed national minimum wage. Outside of the communiqué, the NLC is also demanding the reversal of the recent electricity tariff hike nationwide.
Backstory
NLC President Joe Ajaero was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday in Abuja. According to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ajaero was en route to the United Kingdom to attend and address the Congress of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Britain.
Following his arrest, the NLC’s National Administrative Council (NAC) issued a communiqué demanding his unconditional release by midnight on Monday, alongside calls for a reversal of the petrol price to N617 per litre and the immediate implementation of the newly signed national minimum wage.
- Prior to his arrest, Ajaero had complied with a police invitation on August 28 to answer allegations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, and cybercrime. He was released the following day.
- Subsequently, Ajaero and NLC Secretary General Emmanuel Ugboaja were summoned to appear before the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Abuja on September 5 over charges of criminal intimidation, breach of public peace, and property damage.
- Ajaero, accompanied by prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), honoured the summons and later addressed NLC members regarding the ongoing issues.
- In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved a N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers, promising to review the law every three years. This decision followed extensive negotiations, during which the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) initially demanded N250,000 but eventually agreed to N70,000. However, months after its passage into law, implementation remains delayed.
Regarding the petrol price hike, in early September, NNPC Limited increased prices at its stations to N855 per litre, with retail stations selling between N865 and N1,100.
The NLC opposed this increase, citing that during minimum wage negotiations, a key agreement was that the N70,000 wage would only be accepted if petrol prices were not raised further.